The present invention relates to amusement devices, and more specifically to electronic chance devices such as slot machines.
Gaming devices such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, can be highly profitable. However, if the prospective player encounters inconvenience or delay in beginning play on a slot machine, he may forego playing. For example, the prospective player may not have immediately available funds. Alternatively, he may have temporarily run out of funds, but would like to keep on playing.
The player may have currency on hand but in too large a denomination, thus forcing him to wait until he can make change. Even though some slot machines have bill validators that accept large-denomination bills, these bill validators cannot provide change in the form of small-denomination bills, such as breaking a $100 bill into five $20 bills. This inconvenience may prevent a player from initiating play if he does not want to insert the $100 bill into the slot machine to establish a balance and does not want to wait for an employee to come by and make change for him before he can start playing.
Accordingly, it is highly desirable to make it as easy as possible for a prospective player to begin playing a slot machine or to continue playing a slot machine after running out of money. Reduction or elimination of any inconvenience to initiating play would result in increased player time, particularly in instances where the decision to play (or to continue to play) is based on impulse. Increased player time and more players overall at slot machines result in an opportunity for increased revenue for the slot machine operator which is often a casino.
Casinos have used a number of methods to allow players to establish a balance without inserting currency into a slot machine. For example, some slot machines accept credit or debit cards as a means of establishing a balance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,022 to Lucero describes a gaming device that accepts debit and credit cards in order to establish a balance at a gaming device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,306 to Lucero describes a system where a player can use a credit card at a slot machine to obtain funds in order to establish a balance. The financial institution that holds the account of the credit card is contacted and the request for funds is approved. The amount of requested credit is then credited to the casino and debited from the player""s credit card account.
However, the use of credit cards is not appealing to many players, who may be wary of providing their card account number. In addition, a written record of the player""s gambling session appears later on the player""s credit card statement, which the player may prefer to avoid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,333 to Takemoto describes a system that allows a player to play at a gaming device without first providing payment. Under this system, the player uses a xe2x80x9ccredit mediumxe2x80x9d that has a predetermined balance stored on it. The player may obtain the xe2x80x9ccredit mediumxe2x80x9d from a casino service counter and insert it into a gaming device that is equipped to accept and recognize it. The gaming device can read the stored balance recorded on the xe2x80x9ccredit medium,xe2x80x9d allow it to be used as payment for game play, and make adjustments to it based on the player""s outcomes (i.e. subtract the player""s wager amounts and add the player""s winnings). At the end of game play, or when the player""s balance is equal to zero, the player returns to the casino service counter to make payment (if the player""s winnings were less than the original amount of stored balance) or receive his winnings (if the player""s winnings were more than the amount of the original stored balance).
This system does not encourage a player to begin playing on impulse, because the player must first obtain the xe2x80x9ccredit mediumxe2x80x9d from the casino service counter before he can start playing. The system is inconvenient to the player at the end of game play as well, when he must return to the casino service counter to collect his winnings. This system also does not permit a player who does not have any cash on hand to initiate game play during his casino visit. Furthermore, providing the xe2x80x9ccredit mediumxe2x80x9d to the player is an added expense and inconvenience for the casino. Additionally, Takemoto involves securing exits of the gaming establishment to prevent players from leaving without repaying any losses recorded on the xe2x80x9ccredit mediumxe2x80x9d.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,874 to Dickinson et al. describes a system where a player may provide an amount of money to the casino that is stored on the casino server in association with the player""s identification number. This allows the amount of money the player has stored to be downloaded to any gaming device into which the player inserts his player tracking card. However, a player must have a previously-established account with the casino and must have sufficient funds in the account.
None of the above-mentioned systems allow an individual to establish a balance at a gaming device without providing payment contemporaneously therewith.
The present invention provides a system including a gaming device, such as a slot machine, where a player may establish a balance with the gaming device without providing payment. The player instead establishes a balance by receiving a xe2x80x9cloanxe2x80x9d. The player may then begin playing with that balance. The loan has the effect of encouraging impulse play at the gaming device.
According to one aspect of the invention, a gaming device operation method is provided in which the device receives a loan request, which includes a loan amount, to establish a balance without having received payment therefor. The device sends a request signal to a controller of the gaming device communicating the credit request. The gaming device receives an approval signal from the controller of the gaming device regarding approval of the loan request, and establishes a balance, up to the loan amount. The loan amount may be less than the requested amount. A cash-out mechanism of the gaming device is enabled in accordance with the approval signal or other signal. The gaming device allows the player to begin playing with the established balance.
According to another aspect of our invention, a method is provided for approving a loan request for a player of a gaming device. A loan request signal is received from the gaming device. The loan request includes the requested amount and a player identifier. The loan request is evaluated, and a signal is sent to the gaming device indicating approval or disapproval of the loan request. A signal indicating approval of the loan request includes a signal enabling a cash-out mechanism of the gaming device. The loan amount extended to the player is recorded.
A slot machine in accordance with the present invention may allow a player to establish a balance at the slot machine, without the player providing any payment. In one embodiment of the invention, the machine sends out a signal to the appropriate casino personnel at the time of a loan request. The balance is established and may be used by the player immediately, but may not be withdrawn by the player as currency (xe2x80x9ccashed outxe2x80x9d) until casino personnel arrive to complete the loan application. A central processing unit (CPU) within the machine is capable of disabling the cash-out feature of the machine until casino personnel arrive to enable it and have the player sign a loan application.